Australian women with period pain want medicinal cannabis but face major access barriers | Research

The takeaway

Focus groups with 26 Australian women found dissatisfaction with current pain treatments drove interest in medicinal cannabis for period pain, but cost, prescriber bias, drug driving laws, and stigma blocked access.

Women with severe period pain, Australian policymakers, and healthcare providers considering medicinal cannabis prescribing.

Cost of legal cannabis drove women to illicit supply

What the researchers found

Dissatisfaction with over-the-counter pain medication was the primary driver for wanting medicinal cannabis. Key barriers included difficulty finding willing prescribers, cost, current drug driving laws, geographic isolation, and persistent stigma around cannabis even when prescribed.

Why it matters

Period pain affects millions of women, and current treatments are often inadequate. This study captures the real-world barriers women face in accessing a treatment option they believe could help, even where it is legally available.

The numbers in context

26 women participated in virtual focus groups. All experienced regular moderate or greater menstrual pain. High cost of legal medicinal cannabis was identified as a key factor driving women to illicit cannabis instead.

How the study worked

Qualitative study using virtual focus groups with 26 Australian women experiencing regular moderate-to-severe menstrual pain. Explored perceptions of medicinal cannabis including cost, stigma, driving laws, workplace ethics, and geographic access.

What this study cannot tell us

Qualitative study with 26 participants cannot measure the prevalence of these views in the broader population. Recruited through social media, potentially attracting cannabis-favorable participants.

How to read the evidence

Preliminary: qualitative focus group study with 26 participants, cannot generalize to broader population.

When this study was published

Published in 2022.

The bigger picture

The barriers identified mirror those found in broader Australian medicinal cannabis access studies, suggesting the problems are systemic rather than disease-specific and require regulatory solutions.

Questions still open

Would government subsidization of medicinal cannabis increase legitimate access? Do the drug driving laws (which test for THC presence, not impairment) unfairly penalize medicinal users? Would clinical trials of cannabis for dysmenorrhea change prescriber attitudes?

Common questions

Why do women want cannabis for period pain?

The primary driver was dissatisfaction with current over-the-counter pain medications, which many found inadequate for managing their symptoms.

What was the biggest barrier to access?

Multiple barriers emerged, but cost and difficulty finding a prescriber willing to recommend cannabis were among the most significant. Drug driving laws that test for THC presence (not impairment) were also a major concern.

Is there evidence cannabis helps with period pain?

The authors note that clinical trials of cannabis for primary dysmenorrhea are urgently needed. Current evidence is mostly anecdotal.

Read the original research

"Should I Inhale?"-Perceptions, Barriers, and Drivers for Medicinal Cannabis Use amongst Australian Women with Primary Dysmenorrhoea: A Qualitative Study.

International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(3)

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Sinclair, Justin; Armour, Susanne; Akowuah, Jones Asafo; Proudfoot, Andrew; Armour, Mike. (2022). "Should I Inhale?"-Perceptions, Barriers, and Drivers for Medicinal Cannabis Use amongst Australian Women with Primary Dysmenorrhoea: A Qualitative Study.. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031536